Thug jailed for attack on pregnant girlfriend

Woman punched and kicked in stomach
AN Oldham man who punched and kicked his girl friend when she was five months pregnant has been jailed for 12 months.

Sean Cleary (46), who admits he has an alcohol problem, attacked his former partner, Suzanne Hanson, when she confronted him about his behaviour with another woman.

Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court was told that during the incident on May 15, he pushed her down on his sofa and punched her to the head.

As she tried to escape, he followed her outside where he punched and kicked her to the stomach on a number of occasions.

Mr Peter Edmondson, prosecuting, said police were called, and Cleary, of Flora Street, claimed it was he who had been assaulted that and he had acted in self-defence.

Having appeared before Oldham magistrates two days after the attack, when he denied common assault, he met Ms Hanson some days later and attacked her a second time, after a row over property and clothing.

Mr Edmondson said Cleary again denied what he had done, but was remanded in custody pending another appearance at the magistrates court on June 23.

On that occasion he pleaded guilty to both charges of common assault, and was committed to Crown Court for sentence.

The Minshull Street court was told that Ms Hanson, who is now in another relationship, said she had feared for her safety when Cleary was around, and worried about her unborn baby.

Mr Edmondson said the two assaults put Cleary in breach of a six-month suspended sentence imposed in December last year, following an incident in which he had threatened Ms Hanson with a knife and a stick.

Mr Steve Sullivan defending, said: “Mr Cleary is genuinely remorseful about his actions, and accepts that alcohol exacerbates his abysmal behaviour.”

He said: “His relationship with Ms Hanson was not good for him, and he now realises that it cannot continue.

“He also accepts his drink problem and fully intends to take advantage of his time in custody to seek counselling help.”

Cleary was sentenced to five months in prison for the first assault, four months for the second assault, and given a further three months for breach of his suspended sentence, all terms to run consecutively.

Jailing him, Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said: “It is clear that this relationship was a violent relationship, but your partner was pregnant at the time that you kicked and punched her in the stomach.

“It could have been that far greater damage was inflicted upon her, and she could even have lost her baby.”